At Long Last
by mandyTbickerson
Summary: SPOILERS** Civil War oneshot rewriting Peggy Carter's death. When Steve gets a text he jumps at the chance to live a life that should have been. Steve/Peggy pairing - Canon character death in Chapter 3 COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Okay. Civil War was amazing and I've seen it twice already but as an avid Peggy Carter fan I felt her death... lacking. I did a rewrite that could still fit within the canon of Civil War with a few minor adjustments. Understand that this is very much a Steve/Peggy fic and if you're not into that you probably will not like this fic. I switch POVs occasionally between Steve and Peg. It should be pretty obvious as I use a break line each time. This is a complete fic that will be uploaded in 3 parts. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

He looked down at his phone, a much needed distraction from the current meeting he was a part of. The text stared back at him and he immediately got up to leave, no care for the mess he was leaving behind.

"She's awake. And asking for you."

To anyone else this would be an ordinary text. Certainly not worth dropping everything and leaving Tony and the others in the middle of such a monumental meeting. But to Steve that text was everything. It was what he needed. He needed her. The real her. Not the woman consumed by a disease so unfair. No, that text meant Peggy Carter was not simply awake, but _lucid,_ and he could not miss an opportunity to have her back, regardless of how long it may last.

Each second it took to get to her felt longer than the previous. There were brief moments when she was herself but they usually lasted minutes. For someone to contact him something must be different. He just hoped she could hold long enough for him to get there.

Steve cautiously pushed open her door and felt his hope fade when he found Peggy asleep in the chair near her window. Before he could take a step, however, she jerked awake, instantly aware of her surroundings and ready to take on the offensive should there be danger. He felt relief. The look in her eye was exactly as he remember, fierce and ready for battle.

"Sleeping on the job, Peg?"

Her face softened at the sight of him and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She stood slowly and walked to him, placing a hand on his face as if checking that he was really there.

"Steve."

It wasn't a question but a statement of fact. He was actually in front of her. A second later he wrapped his arms around.

"Careful, Rogers. Not all of us aged as well as you, I'm afraid."

He pulled away from her and took in her smiling face. There were lines on her face and her hair was gray but her eyes were the same. Memories flooded his mind and he embraced her again.

"I missed you."

She wrapped her arms around him too. Not for long though. After a moment she pulled away from him and walked to her closet.

"Well then. We best get a move on."

She rummaged deep in the closet and pulled out a pair of pants, shirt, leather jacket, and boots you would never imagine a woman in her 90's would even own, let alone _wear._ Even after all these years she still surprised him. It took a moment for him to recover from his initial shock.

"Uh, Peggy? What exactly are we doing?"

"Everything. Now turn around so I can get changed."

His face must have still shown his shock because she gave her a look and he quickly turned around. She seemed to be determined and he only hoped he could keep up with her.

* * *

Peggy felt alive for the first time in years. She could think clearly. There were some details that were fuzzy but there were so many more that were as clear as crystal. She dressed as quickly as her old bones would let her. She cursed herself silently. Old age was a cruel punishment for the young mind. She got her boots on, a gift from her niece, but found herself unable to zip them up. She looked up and saw Steve still turned, ever the gentleman.

"Er- Steve? Do you think you could help with these?"

At the invitation he turned around and looked at her, the look of surprise still lingering on his face. Oh how she had missed that face. He looked down to her boots and knelt in front of her, gently holding her left leg and zipping her boot. He did the right. He paused for a second and she could imagine only so well the thoughts going through his mind. Once happy thoughts of the future, now painful thoughts of what could have been.

She cleared her throat and stepped away from him turning to a small desk near her bed. Inside was a small box containing some of her necessary, and favorite, accessories. She was in the middle of applying her signature red lipstick when the door to her room opened and one of the nurses exclaimed in alarm;

"Miss Carter! W-what are you doing out of bed?"

Steve quickly stood up and the nurse jumped again, apparently not even noticing Captain America sitting on her bed. Peggy finished putting on her lipstick without looking at the woman. She recognized the woman, she was kind and always made sure Peggy was comfortable.

"Your name is Rebecca, is it not?"

She turned to look at the younger woman. She took her lack of response as a yes.

"Well, Rebecca. Captain Rogers and I are leaving. I do not know when I shall return but I _am_ leaving."

It was a command. She _was_ leaving. Rebecca mumbled something about having to call someone and stepped from her room. Peggy could hear her on the other side of the door. She caught the words "dangerous" and "national security". She knew too much, kept too many secrets.

"Peg, I don't think they're going to let you leave."

She could hear the caution in his voice. She rolled her eyes and looked at him. She had already thought of this. She couldn't really blame the government. Her state of mind was not always to be trusted. But she knew herself, she knew very well this could be her last chance at living her life as the true Peggy Carter. And nobody was going to stop her.

"She should be here any minute."

* * *

He did not have to wait long to find out who the "she" was. A minute later another voice joined Rebecca's in the hallway. A voice he recognized. The new voice was telling the nurse to step aside and let Peggy leave, that it was a government approved outing. A second later the door opened and Sharon Carter walked in.

Steve's surprise now turned to confusion. Peggy walked to Sharon and hugged her in an almost motherly embrace. Steve noticed tears in Sharon's eyes as they embraced.

"It's good to see you, Aunt Peggy."

The two woman looked to Steve, a mischievous grin on both their faces.

"I take it you've met my niece? And from the look on your face she didn't tell you who she was. Good girl"

Peggy winked at Sharon who smiled back. Steve would definitely be having a lengthy conversation with Sharon later. Now, though, it seemed it was time to go as Peggy was already out the door and walking down the hall. She moved much quicker than Steve expected and he had to jog a bit to catch up with her.

There was car waiting for them when they got outside. Peggy went directly to the driver's side, pulling car keys out as she moved. She got to the door and then seemed to think twice, turned to Steve and threw the keys at him. Without a word she moved to the passenger side and got in. Steve didn't say anything. He knew she would like nothing more to drive again but she didn't trust herself. He got into the car and started it.

"Where to, first?"

* * *

 **You'll find I don't care much for accuracy in the abilities of a 90 something woman. It's fanfic and she's Peggy Carter. *shrugs***

 **Thanks again for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:Here's the next chapter! It was originally supposed to be longer but I just don't have the time to flesh out the plot points enough so this is the condensed version. You can check out the Author's Notes at the end to get an idea of what I originally had planned. But I hope you enjoy what I've written so far and the last chapter should be up either later today or tomorrow.**

* * *

Steve still didn't quite believe she was actually there with him. She had moments where she'd forget a detail or struggle to find the right word but she hid it well and he didn't bring any attention to it. They had stopped at a few miscellaneous places. She pointed out the apartment building she once lived in that was now an office building. She had him stop near a park she used to take her children to.

Her face lit up as spoke of her children. She sounded so happy as she spoke of their many accomplishments. As hard as he tried he could not help the twinge of sadness in his chest. He was of course happy for the life Peggy had lived but a part of him wished she had lived it with him. He shook those thoughts away and pulled out his phone.

"You should call them. Your kids."

He smiled at her as she took the phone. Her shook slightly and he offered to tap the numbers for her. He stepped out of the car to give her privacy as she spoke to her children. Steve took in the world around him. So different from the world he remembered, the world he was a part of. Even the smell of the air was different. Lost in his thoughts he didn't even hear the door close or see Peggy until she hooked her arm in his.

"Anywhere you'd like to visit, Captain?"

He didn't say anything for a moment but then he looked down to her with an almost sad smile and said;

"Home."

* * *

She home meant New York. New York held many memories for Peggy as well, some better than others. She was ready to go back especially now that she had Steve back. There was one stop she wanted to make before they left D.C.

"Yes, home. But first there's one more place we need to stop."

She hadn't visited the memorial in many years. She had been there the day the memorial had been dedicated by the President. She had visited a few times after but it had been only a few years later when she retired. She knew he had been there before as well but she wanted to stop there one last time with him. They walked silently taking in the subtle tranquility of the place. There were others there, young and old, but none paid any attention to them. Steve had tried to hide his identity as much as he could, hoping for a bit of anonymity as they paid their respect to both friends and family.

They made it to the area on the West side of the memorial with the "Freedom Wall". There were thousands of gold stars on the wall, each meant to represent about 100 Americans who lost their lives in the war.

They didn't spend too much time there but it was nice to be there with him. It had been overwhelming when she had first learned he was still alive. She had spent so much of her life trying to honor the sacrifice he made and she liked to think she had done quite well in that regard.

She was still having a hard time processing the fall of SHIELD and could not help but wonder if she could have done better in detecting Hydra's presence in the organization she worked so hard to create. She tried not to let it eat at her when she had so little precious time in her right mind. Not much scared Peggy Carter but the knowledge that she could slip away again at any moment terrified her. She had to just keep pushing forward.

* * *

The drive from Washington to New York was just under 4 hours. They had contemplated flying but they both agreed it would probably be quicker in the end to just drive. Steve drove faster than he probably should have but she didn't say a word. If he knew her, she was probably silently telling him to go faster.

She told him to stop just before they reached the cities outer limits at a small train station. There were a few cars in the parking lot and Steve thought it must be used by mostly commuters. Peggy looked to her wristwatch.

"I do believe we made perfect time. The afternoon train should be here at any time."

A thought struck him as he followed her toward the station.

"Uh, Peggy?"

"Yes?"

He stopped as he felt around for his wallet. That he couldn't find. She stopped as he ran back to the car to see if he had left it there. It wasn't there.

"Is something the matter?"

"I –uh, I don't suppose you have money for the tickets? Because my wallet's gone."

"Er, well. No. I don't."

He hung his head. But she didn't miss a beat as she turned back toward the station beckoning him to follow her. There were 5 people in the waiting area and a man behind the counter. She pulled him to the middle of the room and pulled of the hat and glasses he was wearing.

"If I could have your attention for a moment."

The people stopped what they were doing and looked to the elderly woman whose mere presence demanded their attention. Some of them looked to Steve and their eyes grew wide in recognition. Steve felt his face go red at the attention. He did not like where this was going.

"As some of you may notice, this is Steve Rogers, known to most as Captain America. Now the Captain and I are only looking to get to the city but have found ourselves both without the funds to get there. If any of you are able to help us get enough money for two tickets to the city we can make it from there."

Steve's face went redder. He did not like asking for money, especially just because of who he is. But Peggy continued;

"In exchange, the Captain here will take a photo with you and give you his autograph."

The look on her face showed just how much she was enjoying this as the small group of people lined up to take selfies with him. She just sat in a chair off to the side as he signed whatever random item each person had in their bags. He would never live this down and he just hoped she wouldn't tell any of the other Avengers about it.

* * *

She was very pleased. She knew they probably could have found an easier way to get to New York. But the opportunity was too good not to pass up. Her attention was on Steve and she almost didn't notice when a young girl and her mother approached her. She had a small notebook and a pen in her hand.

"Oh! Hello there! Captain Rogers is right over there, I'm sure he'd be happy to sign that for you."

The little girl didn't move but looked up to her mother who gave her a little nod. The little girl pushed the pen and notebook towards Peggy and her mother said;

"You're Agent Peggy Carter. And this is my daughter Elena. You're one of her heroes and if it's ok with you she'd love it if you could sign her notebook for her."

Peggy froze. She didn't know what to say. She could not help the tears that welled in her eyes and she quickly snapped her attention to young girl in front of her. She didn't know how the pair knew who she was and didn't bother to ask. She took the pen and thought for a moment about what to write. When she finished she looked up and asked if she could have a hug. With a quick look to mom Elena flung her arms around Peggy's neck and squeezed.

"Thank you, Elena."

They broke apart and the young girl looked down at the words written:

"Elena, always know your value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter. –Peggy Carter"

* * *

The train ride was short and in no time they were back in the city that held memories for both of them. Their first stop had been at a bank that seemed to know exactly who Peggy was. Well, the name they called her was Angie but he didn't blame her for being cautious. And he shouldn't have been surprised she had accounts set up for emergencies. There wasn't much money but it was enough to get them through the day.

Peggy showed Steve the SSR building she had spent so much of her time at. And the apartment building she had once lived in. There were a few spots she would stop at but not say anything, undoubtedly reliving a memory long lost.

They stopped here and there in Manhattan. Steve just listened as Peggy told him how each building had changed through the years. She had so many stories, so many secrets no one else would ever hear. A few of her stories caused him to raise an eyebrow but she would shoot back a look that clearly meant he was not one to judge. He noticed her steps grow slower as the day went on, it was a marvel she had as much energy as she did. After she seemed to be out of places to go she looked to him.

"Let's get you home."

* * *

 **A/N: Originally I wanted to do a scene with Steve talking about Bucky and have them find Angie in NY now a retired Broadway star. Maybe one day I'll rewrite this chapter but for now this is what you get ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well this is it. I literally left the theater after seeing Civil War with this plot idea in my head. I wrote it as quickly as possible before I lost motivation. It's short and to the point and I hope I could do a bit more justice to Peggy Carter than she's been shown on the big screen and small screen (RIP Agent Carter, I'll miss you)**

* * *

Steve knew the day was getting to her. The last hour or so she had slowed considerably. She wouldn't say anything, she was far too stubborn for that, but he knew. It would be sundown soon. He decided to take over the end of their adventure bringing her to one of his favorite spots; the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

They found a spot with a perfect view of the bridge. They had some privacy, something Steve had seen to. He wasn't Captain America for no reason, though people seemed more than happy to give the pair some space. Peggy sat with her head resting against his shoulder.

"You know, _Captain_. I do believe you still owe me a dance."

There was a pang in his chest. A pain that would never go away. It had been so long for her but for him those 68 years had been nothing but the blink of an eye. He got up and straightened himself, extending his hand to her.

"Miss Carter, it'd by immense pleasure if you accepted this dance with me."

She smiled, the twinkle of tears in her eyes. She took his hand and let him help her to her feet. She nearly lost her balance but he was there. He wouldn't let her fall.

And they danced. A dance they had waited a lifetime for. He twirled her slowly and gently. They moved in a perfect rhythm, taking turns leading. It got harder for her to catch her breath and they slowed to a steady sway. There was no music, but it did not matter. In that moment they were the only two people in the world.

"Steve."

She stopped moving and he knew she needed to rest. Slowly he helped her to the ground as he sat beside her. Again, she rested her head against him. The sky was a brilliant shade of pink, streaks of yellow brushing across it as if someone had painted them the perfect sunset.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Was it worth the wait? The dance, I mean."

She chuckled and wrapped her hand around his, squeezing it gently. They both looked across the sky. The Brooklyn Bridge a testament of time. Steve had been grateful to see how little it had changed, it's familiarity a comfort. He could hardly believe the woman beside him was real. Her warmth the only thing keeping him rooted in reality.

"Yes. It was worth the wait. I waited so long. But I never loved anyone the way I loved you. You were always a part of me. And when they found you and you were alive..."

She stopped talking. He could not help the lump in his throat. He didn't say anything because he did not think he could.

"Steve?"

She pulled away from him so she could look at his face. There was so much to say and yet they did not need to say it.

"Yeah, Peg?"

"I love you."

He did not hesitate as he kissed her. And in that moment it was as if no time had passed. The plane hadn't crashed and they had lived the life they both longed for and deserved. They broke away too soon and she again leaned into him.

"I love you too, Peg."

* * *

The words she had waited so long for filled her with so many long forgotten emotions. No tears came, she had shed those years before. No, this was true pleasure. If there was regret in her life, one bit of unfinished business it was Steve Rogers. But he had returned to her and she had returned to him. Even if it was this one day of complete clarity. This one day of bliss. It was more than she had ever hoped for.

She looked to Bridge. She had said goodbye to Steve on this same bridge years before. It was her way to cope, to move on. But she hadn't moved on, not really. Her eyes were heavy and she leaned closer into him as she caught a chill. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

* * *

He felt her shiver and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. She closed her eyes and seemed to melt into him. After a minute she sighed and did not move again. He had known this day was her last run. Her last day of truly living. He had done whatever she wanted, anything to keep her happy. He owed her that. She had found love after he was gone and he was grateful for that but he was not certain he could love again. Not like this. He could not stop the tears as they streamed down his face as he held the woman he loved one last time.

* * *

Sharon Carter was working when she received the text.

"She's gone. In her sleep."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**


End file.
